It’s that time of year again … Our winning, young college basketball stars compete in the Final Four for an NCAA championship, and our worn-out old kitchens whimper for updates.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share my “Sensible Style Final Four Remodeling Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make List” this month. So, before you turn on the games, and before you pick up the phone to call a kitchen pro, consider this list carefully. Its game plan is to give you a home court advantage on your kitchen remodel.

Final Four Mistake No. 1: Ignore how you really live

A sensibly styled kitchen meets your household’s daily needs, not those of a magazine or TV show. It makes sense for how you and your family cook, shop, eat, entertain and clean up.

For example, don’t choose high-maintenance materials if your schedule is already maxed out and you don’t have domestic help. Don’t buy a refrigerator or range that’s too small (or large) for your household’s regular meal planning. Be sure the kitchen professional you select works with you to create a kitchen that truly fits your lifestyle.

He or she should be asking you about your cooking habits, eating patterns, family schedule and a host of other details that will affect the types of appliances, storage and countertops you need.

It doesn’t matter how great everything looks if it doesn’t work for you. One woman I knew hated her brand-new builder kitchen.

It was planned so poorly that the single mom of two had to crisscross the room endlessly to get dinner cooked. She also, quite rightly, detested the attached batten doors that her kids would never close in the right order. It was a kitchen that wasn’t going to work well for any modern family.

Final Four Mistake No. 2: Ignore your home’s architecture

Sensibly styled kitchens honor what’s around them. That is especially important when you’re pulling down walls to open it to other rooms. Consider the style of moldings and trim in adjacent spaces and repeat them in the kitchen. For example, if the great room has a traditional fireplace with dentil molding, consider using dentil molding in the kitchen cabinetry crown, rather than rope, egg and dart or competing trims, or go contemporary with no crown on sleek European-style cabinets. Tying the two spaces together visually gives the new open “entertaining zone” of kitchen and great room better flow.

Choose flooring and cabinetry finishes that also work with nearby materials. The whole area will look larger if the flooring is the same throughout. If that’s not in the plans, choose something in a similar color to get the same space-enhancing effect.

Consider whether a French country or Tuscan kitchen will look out of place with your California contemporary. By honoring what’s in your home already, you’ll increase its overall value, rather than making what’s there now look outdated. That doesn’t mean that you can’t bring in a new style; just be sure it works seamlessly with what’s already around it, rather than creating a hodgepodge of competing styles.

Final Four Mistake No. 3: Ignore your home’s value

One of the questions I regularly get asked is “how much should I spend on my kitchen remodel?” I advise clients to renovate in keeping with their home’s true value. That ignores both steep declines and short-term bubbles.

Be proportionate — sensible, you could say — because a $100,000 kitchen won’t turn a $400,000 home into a $500,000 home. It just won’t. The home’s location and size are the greatest indicators of its value. Your kitchen remodel can enhance that and bring you a decent return on the investment, but only if you do it proportionately and smartly. It doesn’t make sense to underspend either. Read more about that next.

Final Four Mistake No. 4: Ignore your neighbors

No, I’m not suggesting that you involve them in your kitchen planning, other than a friendly heads-up that there are going to be workers they’ve never seen before parking in front of their house, a fair amount of daytime noise and a Dumpster in their not-too-distant future.

What I am recommending is that you factor in neighborhood standards for maximum resale value. What that means is that if every other house on the block has stone countertops, laminates — even good-looking ones — aren’t going to give you any bang for your remodeling buck. If most of the area’s remodels have upgraded to KitchenAid or Monogram appliances, you’re likely going to be overspending on a La Cornue.

Final four seconds on the subject

Yes, it’s your home and you can overspend, over-improve, trend bend or La Cornue yourself into a blissful new kitchen. I’m not telling you to cast aside your dreams for my reality. I’m merely suggesting that to get the best use and return on your not-insignificant investment, these four Sensible Style principles can serve you well. Happy remodeling.

Jamie Goldberg is a local NKBA-certified designer of kitchens and baths, and the Sensible Style contributor to Kitchens.com jamie@jgkitchens.com